Shark wrestling

Well after another 6 months in Nicaragua its time again for me to make a visa run to Costa Rica. Now that I am Married to a Nicaraguan, according to immigration I may apply for Residency after one year of marriage. In the meantime however, I must still make visa runs. This time I made plans to stay in La Cruz for the 3 days that I need to be out of the country.

Some say you can go back the same day, but there are conflicting opinions on this and I'll talk more about that later. Jean and I left Corn Island in the night on Tuesday, we were able to get a ride on a fishing boat headed for bluefields since the captain was a friend of some of the brothers. We arrived in Bluefields at sunrise, and made our way to the "panga pit". We parted ways temporarily at this point, since Jean obviously does not need to leave the country she will stay with her parents in Pearl Lagoon while I am in CR. After another boat ride and a few chicken buses I made it to Managua. The next morning, I was on the express bus to Peñas blancas.

Crossing the border on foot is actually very simple, at least it would be if not for the sharks. What I mean by sharks, are the people who accost you as soon as you get off the bus. As soon as you get off they swarm you with all kinds of schemes to try and make some money. Some offer to help with your bags for a tip, others offer advice. They are VERY persistent and will not take no for an answer, if you set your bag down they will take it. Worse yet however, are those that impersonate officials to try and get your money. Heres a few scams I've seen:

1: customs forms on the bus
If you're on the ordinario or express bus (not ticabus) someone will come and hand you a customs form, or even fill it out for you, asking for your information, destination etc. This form is legitmiate, but the scam is that they will then ask for 20 cordobas or more for the form. Customs will provide you with the form on the costa rica side of the border -free- and you can fill it out yourself right there. It does not need to be done in advance.

2: boleto de regreso
Sometimes, costa rican immigration will require you to show proof of onward travel. This can be many things, such as an itinerary or bus ticket. Before you reach the border however, and as you get off the bus people will try to sell you an open bus ticket for $30-$35. They wear uniforms, and insist that you must buy the ticket or you cannot pass or enter the border. They may sometimes admit that you can buy the ticket once you get to the border, but they claim it will cost more. That is a lie, it actually costs $10 less at the border. I went through the entire border crossing, and at the final stage at the costa rican customs office, they asked me for proof of onward travel. I was able to buy the same open ticket (its good for 1 year and can be used to cross multiple times) for $25 at a ticabus kiosk -directly- across the street from the office where it was needed. Theres also an ATM that accepts visa there, and dispenses colones and dollars.

3: taxis
Not really a scam, just a bad deal. They will take you to whatever town you're going to, but at about 10x the price of the air-conditioned bus waiting just a few steps ahead. Bus costs $2-3 from the border to managua, or the same to la cruz or liberia on the costa rica side.

4. Various forms and papers you dont even need.
Again, people in uniform will try to sell you all manner of documents. Heres what you really need:
- passport
Oh... thats it.

5. Fake immigration officials
Heres something that happened to me today. I had just exited nicaragua, and paid the exit tax of $2, and $1 for passing through. Both of these were paid at a -desk- with a cashier. The passage fee outside the door, and the exit tax inside the building at which point i recieved an exit stamp in my passport. As you walk through "no man's land" between the two countries, there is a shelter with two police officers waiting next to the road. They call you in and check your passport, nothing else. Just before entering however a man stepped in front of me, wearing a uniform that vaguely resembled that of the immigration department. He had some kind of ID card around his neck but I couldnt read it clearly. He asked for my passport and had a handful of costa rican immigration forms. I declined, but he insisted, and then showed me his id card again and explained that he worked there and that I was required to show him my passport, I reluctantly let him see it and he started filling out the form, after asking my destination and nationality he said the form would cost $10. I asked why, and he just said that that was the fee and I had no choice. I took my passport back, and politely told him to give me a moment while I ask the police officer inside the booth. The officer looked at my passport and told me to carry on. When i asked him about the document, he shook his head and said that I get that on the costa rica side. I turned around to see where the man who wanted $10 for the form was, but he was nowhere to be seen. Upon arriving on the costa rica side, the -real- immigration officer who was sitting at a desk inside the building gave me the same form for free and i filled it out myself.

In the end, it cost me exactly $3 to cross the border. $1 just before entering the building at a kiosk, this is apparently a local tax from the town of peñas blancas, and is legitimate. Second, $2 fee for exiting nicaragua, this is paid inside at the same time they put the exit stamp in your passport. Now, sometimes you will need proof of onward travel. I had an open ticket from 6 months ago so I didnt need to buy another one. I then took the bus to la Cruz, which costs 450 colones ($1) going back there is also an exit fee for costa rica, and then another $10 to enter Nicaragua. Anything asked of you in addition to this is a scam. I've found the best strategy to getting through it all is very simple. Ignore everyone. Thats it, be a jerk if you have to, don't make eye contact with anyone and dont stop moving untill you get to the door of the bulding. Only show your passport to police officers and people behind a desk. You can tell the police officers are real because they have machine guns.

Now, as for returning to Nicaragua the same day I'm really not sure. Immigration department in Bluefields told me that it has to be 3 days, but I've heard many people say they came back the same day. They claim its legal, and the shark who wanted $10 for the form also told me it was legal (wouldn't consider him a credible source though). Another shark offered to help me get back the same day if I gave something to "help out" the officials. I also read online of someone who went back the same day, but they were stopped by the police and asked for a bribe. It sounds sketchy to me, so I just plan on staying the 3 days.

Simplifying

We've decided to simplify our life. This is a common phrase among witnesses, usually when someone says this their plan includes something like selling one of their cars, or spending less on luxuries. Then some take it even further, and simply by moving altogether to another country where the costs of living are much lower, as many have done by moving to Nicaragua.

Although we already live in Nicaragua, Jean and I discovered a way to simplify even more. Due to the abysmal quality of the internet service here (Corn Island only has Claro internet, which is only 3g and never unlimited) I have not been able to teach English online anymore and have had to seek other ways to make a living. As I mentioned somewhere in the last post I've been doing some hotel bookings/vacation planning for friends, but lately the majority of our income has come from selling food on the street. This brings to mind many experiences from yearbooks of ones who have done similar, giving up high paying jobs to sell food... only to find that with their new lifestyle it was even easier to make a living as street vendors than it was with their prestigious job before. Our experience so far has been similar, selling food (Pizza, actually) is good business on Corn Island.

We then started to think about how we could make this income stretch further. Being well familiar with the “gringo tax” phenomenon we decided to keep an open mind about rental properties. Many who come to Corn Island pay $200 per month or more rent, even as much as $500. You can find some beautiful furnished houses for these prices, but it leads one to wonder how local islanders who only make about $100-200 per month afford to pay rent themselves?

We remembered hearing about some apartments years ago that were for 1,500 cordobas per month (about $55 US) so we started doing the math. We were paying $200 per month for our rent in a rather nice two bedroom house that was furnished. If we moved to one that cheap, we would need to buy appliances (especially an oven to cook with). But even so, the savings would add up and after just a few months it would be more than we spent on repairs to the house and appliances as well.

We went to a building that we heard might have apartments, and the owner got us in contact with a relative of theirs that owned a similar building across the street. At first glance, the building looked like something from a movie, perhaps it washed up on shore from the ruins of Atlantis? Not quite. Actually after some conversation with “Choky” (the landlord) we learned its history. The building was formerly known as the “Beach View Hotel”, and is one of the few structures on the Island that survived Hurricane Joan. The beach washed away during the storm, but the building still overlooks the ocean. Most of where the beach was is now a rock barrier built to stop the erosion from reaching the road. The building was neglected for some years afterward, as the man hired to maintain it while Choky was working at sea had been pocketing the money for the repairs. Upon returning Choky decided it would be easier to have no employees, and turn the hotel into apartments.

A few days later we learned that someone had just moved out, and that one of the rooms upstairs facing the sea was avaliable, for 1,500 cordobas per month. It needed a little work, mostly just paint and some shelves put in. The biggest drawback to the apartment would have to be the size, after all it was just a hotel room. After thinking about it prayerfully and calculating the cost, as well as planning how to make the space work we decided to make the move. We bought a fridge second hand, it works great but it just needed a sanding and some spray paint, and we also bought a stove/oven new from a shop in bluefields. We made the deal over the phone and had it shipped in by boat which is a very simple process if you are dealing with one of the big appliance stores. That way we never had to go to Bluefields.

Before

After

So far we are very happy with the move. From our balcony we can see Little Corn Island, and even make out the coral reefs under the water. Swimming and snorkeling couldn't be more convenient, with the water so close we even have time for a quick swim before starting the day or going to bed, or both. Of course the real advantage is that we have simplified signifiantly. Now that we don't have a foreign income to count on we make our living here on the same Island, which means we need to take time from our schedule to work. With paying so little for rent, on what we're able to make from selling Pizza we only work two afternoons a week to cover all our necessary expenses.

First load for the moving van

The moving van

Jean carrying in our new oven

The View

Islands

Three years ago, I went to Corn Island. That was just a vacation, but it was a time I could never forget. It stayed with me over these last few years and now with my wife we are happily relocated and serving on the very same Island that captured me years ago.

this is the post I made three years ago
http://pioneerabroad.blogspot.com/2013/05/corn-islands.html


A highlight of that trip for me, was seeing one of the first meetings of a new group starting out on the smaller of the two Corn Islands. At that time most of Little Corn's inhabitants had never received a witness before. Unfortunately the brother who was boldly taking the lead with the pre-group and living on the island had to leave and the meetings ceased for a time.

That is changing now. The Spanish congregation here on the Big Island has been making visits to the little island for the sake of the preaching work, and also holding meetings at one of the homes. Only a few have taken place and it was my privilege once again to take part in extending the good news to this little jewel in the Caribbean. I was asked to conduct the watchtower study in Spanish (which i still barely speak). I can't express how exciting it was to come back and pick up where we left off years ago.

Preparing for the meeting

Our group left from Big Corn in the morning by panga, with plans to return on a cargo ship in the night. The sea was calm that day which meant a smooth ride where everyone stayed dry. After we arrived we went and dropped out bags off at a house where one of our sisters is living. She is the only witness on the little Island and is unable to travel to the Big Island for the meetings, so she is very appreciative when the congregation can come and hold the meeting at her house.

There isn't a lot of territory to cover on Little Island, but that really isn't a problem, because you can spend a whole day doing one block. Everyone wants to have a bible study right on the spot, even if they're working. In most cases that is just what we do. Though it is small in relation to Big Corn its actually a sizable community, possibly even larger than Pearl Lagoon itself (not including haulover, raitipura etc).

The interior of Little Corn is reminiscent of Orinoco in the way its laid out. There are no cars or motorized vehicles, so instead of streets there are only foot paths, with modest but colorful homes tightly packed around them. Thought the houses are very close to the street, there is no shortage of land space, behind the houses there are open fields, hills covered with fruit trees, and even a few farms. Its a very, very relaxing environment. Little Corn only has electricity during the night and afternoon, so in the morning your ears "ring" from the silence. No blasting music, no traffic noise, no planes landing or taking off, only the occasional creole mother shouting at her child "NO PLAY WIT DAT KOM MAKE I TOMP YOU"

We had some good experiences before the meeting while working one path in the territory. I spoke to a woman who had been studying the bible with the witnesses in Bluefields that relocated to Little Corn a year ago, she was quite excited to see us there. I also had a long conversation with a police man about world conditions, and the cause of today's problems.

The cargo ships came in at 2:00 PM, which admittedly drew a lot of people away from the meeting, as when the ship comes everyone has either something to receive or something to ship out. We had to make the meeting this day though, because we were depending on that same ship to get back to Big Corn. They spent the afternoon unloading and after the meeting we had time for a quick swim and some pizza.

The wharf

Tranquilo

We also ate at Tranquilo Cafe earlier in the day. I went very reluctantly, as I don't like to support businesses that charge excessive prices just because they can. I'll admit though it was nice, the food was good. What bothers me is that they sell it to tourists by advertising their "locally baked coconut bread" that for some reason makes a sandwich worth $8. I guess the tourists don't know you can buy a loaf of coconut bread for about 17 cents anywhere you go. Everything included, the plate of food I ordered would cost them less than a dollar to make, and they sell it for 8. Most restaurants make about 50% profit on food items, they're probably getting about 800%... I think I need to get into the restaurant business.

There was also an unexpected surprise at the end of the day. We didn't just see the stars in the sky, but in the water as well! As we walked into the water in the evening, just after sunset we could see tiny lights like fireflies in the water swirling around our feet. Bio-luminescent plankton was shining as it was stirred up. We could even see it from the boat on our trip back, as the water splashed away from the bow it sparkled in the night.

Only Jehovah knows what future there is for the meetings and the preaching work on Little Corn, but I wait eagerly to see what happens.

Circuit assembly, January 2016

We've just recently made it back from our Circuit assembly in Bluefields. It was very exciting, particularly because its the first one we've had completely in Creole. Our circuit is made up of mostly people from abroad who have come to serve in Nicaragua, as yet there are very few creole people in the truth on Corn Island, so we are all doing our best to speak the dialect with varying success.

Fala Jehoava Egzampl!

A big help is when bible students help us to speak it properly. The situation is improving though, as many creole people are getting baptized. The most exciting part of the assembly for those of us from the Island was to see a bible student who is a native of Corn Island be baptized, the first one from the new Creole group. Some of his family are studying as well and are likely soon to follow.

This is a big accomplishment for the newly baptized brother, because its very difficult for someone on the Island to make such changes and big decisions on their own. Family ties are very tight and many are very interested in the good news, but out of fear of upsetting their relatives or pressure from their former church they cannot make a stand and come to the meetings. Because of this it takes a long time for students to make progress, although many people show interest and will start studying immediately.

Arriving for this assembly was not easy though, as recent events have created complications. A chartered panga capsized on its way to little corn killing several tourists a few weeks ago. Normally no one ever hears about something like that, but because they were from Costa Rica it became an international incident, even being mentioned on CNN

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/24/americas/nicaragua-boat-capsizes/index.html

It was a tragedy, but really should have been avoided by common sense. It was in the middle of one of the worst storms of the year, and the Navy was refusing to let any boats leave due to high winds and waves. Evidently, the passengers pressured the diver into going anyway, since it was a charter and they had places to be.

Because it was an international incident, the government promised to tighten restrictions and safety regulations for all water transport in the country, and because there was another storm brewing no boats were leaving the Island for the week of the assembly, so we got a one way flight to Bluefields.

Our plan after the assembly was to go to Pearl Lagoon to get our bicycles and bring them with us by boat back to Corn Island. During the assembly however, things changed. It was then that the government put its new safety regulations into effect, all transport companies were required to meet these requirements or they would not be allowed to leave. From what I've heard the requirements included life jackets with whistles and signal lights, flare guns, GPS, and some other safety equipment. The problem is, one cannot buy these items on the Atlantic coast, and evidently someone didn't realize that the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua does not have roads and that all transport is by water.

So what this all means, basically, is that there was a military blockade of ALL transportation. Bluefields and the Corn Islands were effectively cut off from all outside access. Tourists and other travelers who had made it as far as Rama were forced to turn back, and some who were still in Pearl Lagoon did not make it to the assembly. This was more than a mere inconvenience as well, because it was not only passenger boats that were affected. Shipping came to a halt as well, and after a few days with no concessions food, gas, drinking water and other necessities started running low. Worse yet people in neighboring communities could not make it to the hospital in Bluefields. By Monday the ban on travel had lasted several days, and we heard that riots had broken out in Rama. We went down to the wharf to see if we might be allowed to travel to pearl lagoon, or back home to Corn Island.

We decided to turn back when we saw the wharf. A riot had started in Bluefields as well, and an angry mob was burning tires and firing off fireworks trying to smo
ke the navy out of the capitania. The riot gained momentum through the day and we heard more and more fireworks, black smoke filling the air. Ambulances kept going by heading to the wharf and we decided it best just to stay inside.

We started  to think about just flying home to Corn Island, but then heard that rioters had taken over the airport on Corn Island, and were burning tires on the runway. This may seem extreme, but one has to remember that without sea travel, Corn Island has no food, no drinking water, and no electricity. Everything is shipped in, even the gas for the power plant. In a few more days people would be starving.

Thankfully, by Tuesday the regulations were lifted and boats were able to travel again. The authorities conceded to allow 6 months time to find the new life jackets and other equipment. We made a call to see when the next boat would leave for Corn Island and it was the same night, so despite our experience the last time, we decided to go back on the Captain D that same evening.

Castaways

Jean and I have been married for roughly two months now, and it was time to make my three month visa run to Bluefields. We decided to make the most of the trip by bringing more of our things from Pearl Lagoon. It should have been a routine trip, but traveling in Nicaragua rarely goes according to plan.

We set off from Corn Island on Saturday night on the Captain D, the largest and allegedly safest of the boats available. The trip was very smooth, neither of us are prone to sea sickness but we took some nausea pills regardless to be sure. We woke up in Bluefields the next morning, and spent the day with our friends in Bluefields. The next day we made the obligatory stop at immigration, did some shopping then headed to Pearl Lagoon. It was nice to be "home" again and to see all the brothers, and all the exciting things that had happened lately with the new boat and Miskito class. When it was time to leave on Wednesday (there are normally two boats travelling to Corn Island on Wednesdays) we crammed as many things including wedding gifts into as many suitcases as we could manage to drag with us. Either the pangero (panga driver) was in a good mood or just wasn't paying attention, because we didn't get charged a single Cordoba for all our bags. As we pulled into Bluefields we saw the Captain D pulling into the dock at the same time, it looked like we were making all our connections easily this time.

Jean stayed with the bags while I went up to the office to buy our tickets, and then we hauled all our luggage onto the ship. Being so early we managed to get a bunk on the lower decks, today the boat was especially crowded, as we learned that Rio Escondido (the government owned passenger boat that normally leaves the same day) had broken down and was not running. In any case the Captain D is very large so we had enough space. The boat was scheduled to leave at 10:00 AM, so we waited on board, also meeting several other witnesses who were also traveling to Corn Island at the same time. At this point, everything looked great. Time went on, and we saw that the boat was not leaving on time. This is nothing new, in fact they never leave on time so we thought nothing of it. People from the wharf began coming on board to sell food and snacks to the passengers, I had a rather nice slice of pizza.

Excited to go to Corn Island... we thought.

We finally set off around 1:00 PM. We seemed to be moving slowly across the bay, although the boat needs to follow a long winding channel to get across due to the shallowness of the bay of Bluefields. We made it to the Bluff, a small island where the military checkpoint is before heading out to sea. It took about two hours to get there, it normally takes 45 minutes to one hour. As we waited for the paperwork to be finalized we heard the engines starting up... well, trying to. They fired up twice, and then went silent. No one paid much attention, but after several hours went by we knew something was wrong.

Finally around 5:00 PM, the captain came to inform everyone that the boat would not be able to travel, and that anyone that wanted a refund could get it from the office in bluefields. We were also told that another boat would be by shortly to pick up those that wished to carry on. This is the last piece of information that anyone was given voluntarily. As the hours went by, rumors spread throughout the ship among passengers. Some said the boat had just left from rama which was 6 hours away, others said it was coming form Corn Island. I had personally seen the boat in question (Isleño) in Bluefields as we were pulling away. Others said it had broken down as well, or that it was loaded down with cargo and wasn't taking anyone. In reality, it was coming from Bluefields but it was just taking its sweet time.

It finally arrived, well after dark. The boat was out of food to sell to the passengers, and people had only left what they brought with them. Jean and I had put our luggage on the deck in preparation to leave the boat, and were waiting upstairs by the bridge so that we could see what was going on. Isleño pulled up next to captain D, and immediately passengers started scrambling across the deck, climbing over cargo and vehicles to try and jump on to the Isleño. Several made it on board, only to be told to get off the boat and wait until they were called. We watched the chaos, worrying mostly about our luggage which now had people standing on top of it. Another hour went by with people standing and waiting to be let on the Isleño. Some were lining up to enter the bridge to speak to the captain, and find out if they would be allowed on. He explained that passengers who had come from Rama (and thus had been on the ship for 6 hours already before it reached bluefields) would be given priority. Jean and I were on the "third list" meaning that we would not likely be getting on. Isleño has a capacity for 60 according to rumors, and there were 40 passengers from Rama. So we knew we wouldn't be getting on.

seeing that people were starting to panic, we decided it would be best to get off the ship. We called the brothers and made contact with the local congregation at the bluff to find accommodation. Getting off the ship was easier said than done though. We took our backpacks off, after climbing and squeezing through a wall of frustrated people. Jean sat with the luggage on the wharf, while I tried to squeeze through and get our suitcases one by one. It took hours, because at times people were not willing to move from the spot they were standing for me to pick up the suitcase.

Finally, the Navy told everyone to get off of the ship... Nobody moved. I still couldn't get to my suitcases, and I couldn't get off the ship even without them because the people standing behind me wouldn't move either. Finally workers started unloading the cargo onto isleño (which evidently had priority over the passengers) and there was more room to move, I grabbed the last two suitcases and got off. The navy again told everyone to get off the ship, and no one moved. 

Refugee camp at the brother's home

Once we had our things we left, leaving the angry mess of people behind. The brothers were already waiting for us outside the gate. 9 other witnesses also decided to stay at the bluff. We later heard that people were asked to form two lines, one of those from Rama, and one of those from bluefields in order to board the ship. No one cooperated, and people crammed on in a mad panic until the boat was full, and it left with only a fraction of the passengers from captain D, leaving the rest to sleep on the street at El Bluff without any food or water, only what they could find on the street. El bluff has no hotels and very few restaurants. I estimate around 120 people were left behind. The brothers found mattresses for people to sleep on the floor in one of their houses, and we were able to use the kitchen to prepare a proper meal.

The next morning we decided to go in service, to make the most of our time. We walked up a hill to a rock-quarry and preached to people sitting in makeshift tents, smashing rocks with a hammer. They were making gravel by hand evidently for a very small salary. It kind of helped put things in perspective to see what these people had to do to make a living.

Rock smasher tent

We went to the wharf again in the afternoon to see what we could find out. There were people everywhere, they had been there since the night before sleeping on the ground and in hammocks outside the gate. Some approached and asked us if we knew where to find a hotel, or food. Many had spent the night on the Captain D which was repaired and returned to Bluefields that morning. They had then taken a panga Back to the bluff in order to board the ship again as it was allegedly departing again the same day in the afternoon. One of the sistsers decided to go on our behalf and get the money back for our tickets, then return to the bluff to go on the next boat scheduled to leave Friday at 3:00 AM.

While she was in the office however she learned new in formation which she told us about by phone. There was in fact, no boat coming that afternoon, but one would be coming at 3:00 AM the next morning and that we should use our same tickets to board it. She wrote down our names on the "list" to get on, however she and the others decided to return to bluefields and cancel their trip to corn island for the time being. The company garunteed that everyone on that list would be allowed on the boat that was definitely coming at 3:00 AM Friday. So we spent another night with the brothers at the bluff.

Late that night however we got information of someone working at the company who we phoned. He told us the boat would not be coming at three, but at 5, or maybe 6 or 7 in the morning. Many of those sleeping on the street had given up and gone home during the day, leaving only about 50 who were determined to get to Corn Island. They were not aware of this development, although we tried to inform some of them, but they had been assured that it was coming at 3.

It never came. We showed up at the wharf with all our bags, along the way busting a wheel on one of the suitcases. Again, people were all over the place sleeping on the ground waiting and hoping that a boat would arrive. Hours went by, no boat. We made some phone calls and found out from someone in Rama (6 hours down the river) that he could see both of the boats that were supposed to have come at 3, and they were still there at the port not even moving. Around the same time the Navy told us the boat would arrive around 9 or 10:00 AM, which would be about 1 hour. Needless to say it never came. We kept phoning our contact in Rama and he kept telling us the same thing "The boat is still here". And every time, they kept telling us it would soon arrive. We phoned the company as well, and they said captain D was being fixed and would arrive shortly. We spent the entire day waiting, waiting, and waiting. Mid-day passed, some sisters from the bluff brought us food around lunch time.

Meanwhile we heard from our friends in Rama that the Isleño was not allowed to leave from Rama because it was overloaded with cargo (no passengers yet). The captain was unwilling to unload any cargo, so they sat there for another day. Finally around 5:00 pm, one of the passengers who had showed up later form the bluff, expecting to get on the Captain D decided to phone his buddy who owned a lobster ship to come and give everyone a ride. Word spread quickly among the stranded passengers and the general mood started to improve. Some were even singing and playing the guitar. 

Me, Jean, and another sister when we found out a boat was coming

After about an hour the lobster boat arrived, and the captain came out from the port. Everyone waited silently to see what would happen.

"Everyone goes" said the captain. We all sighed with relief and were ecstatic to finally be going. Meanwhile we got a phone call from "Transporte Norman Downs" (the captain d's company) saying they were getting the boat ready and it should be able to leave soon. I said "Ok thanks" and hung up. We had waited two days and had lost count of the number of lies this company told us. They were trying not to lose the money they had made from the tickets and didn't want us going anywhere without them, but we were going.

Everyone was buzzing with excitement as we climbed on to the fishing boat, the crew helping people with their bags. We all kept thanking them for finally taking us home, and when we asked how much the trip would cost they said "Nothing". Furthermore, the fishing boat was cleaner and in better condition than any of the passenger boats. The boat was empty and on its way back to Corn Island, so it had no lobster cages or any fishing equipment, so all the passengers just put blankets and mattresses down on the deck, leaving more than enough room for everyone.

On board the Pacific Dream, the fishing boat that rescued us.

It was a smooth and happy ride back to Corn Island, we made it in around midnight. It was an eye opening experience. Kind of a good reminder that anything can happen and then no one is entitled to anything. Thanks to the brotherhood we passed through the ordeal without being in any serious danger or being completely lost. If this had happened in any other country, there would be no end to the lawsuits and it would be all over the news, but in reality no one will likely be held accountable and things will carry on as usual. Isleño finally did leave Rama, but they didn't stop to pick anyone up at the bluff. So much for the "Guarantee". Captain D is still broken.

I've also started a new side business, we're trying to make a little as "Travel advisers" using our experience in the area to plan and book vacations. Check out the information page at:
http://nicaraguadrift.blogspot.com/

Now we're looking forward to our assembly at the end of the month, hopefully our next attempt to get to Bluefields and back is a bit more successful.

Stuff

Its been a while since the regional convention now, and not really much has happened lately, except that I got married and moved to Corn Island. Getting married in Nicaragua is a little different (so I'm told) from getting married in Canada. I wouldn't know, as I've not been married before but the requirements are quite different and the resulting wedding is significantly different from what I've seen as well.

Firstly, one cannot get married at the Kingdom Hall like most do in Canada. In Nicaragua you need to be married by a Judge at the local "Casa de Justicia" or as they call it in Creole the "Judge house". From what I can tell its a court house as it appears that the Judge did not actually live in that building. Maybe its a place where people can come and be judgemental?

One generally has a talk at the Kingdom hall the following day after the civil ceremony, or later on in the same day. Since the real wedding already took place and the talk at the hall was optional, we had to say the vows in past tense. "I have taken you" instead of "I take you". I had mixed feelings about that but in the end I don't think anyone even noticed. We had also already exchanged the rings by the time of the Kingdom Hall ceremony, but we exchanged them again just for show, and for the sake of photos. Although our photographer was present at the civil ceremony as well.

The documents were not too difficult to find, and did not require that I return to Canada which was quite a relief. The hardest thing to find was a document called a "certificate of singleness" which has to be from my home country, and the Canadian government does not issue any such document. We were told by the embassy that there is one that can be obtained in lieu of that, but I would have to return to Canada in order to get it and have it signed by a Canadian notary. Fortunately that was a lie and the judge in Pearl Lagoon said that a "Marriage search" which can be obtained by my parents without my presence was sufficient. My parents brought all the other documents with them when they came down for the wedding, the rest of which was pretty standard (birth certificate, etc).

And that's something else I never imagined would happen, that my family would come here to Nicaragua! but it did! Right now most of my immediate family are here on Corn Island with us. My parents flew in a few weeks before the wedding, and I came over on the boat to get a place ready for them and show them around before going back to pearl lagoon. Jean and I went to meet them at the bluefields airport a long with my sister and her family the day before the wedding. It was fun to see someone else's reactions to seeing Nicaragua for the first time.

The reception was a huge success as well. We had the party at what is without a doubt the best hotel/restaurant in Pearl Lagoon, Casa Ulrich. We also had Mr. Fred (the owner) cater the reception, which was probably among the best decisions we could have made. Guests had a choice of either chicken or fish, which was served with various sides. Everyone was well fed and as always Fred's cooking exceeded expectations, and at prices comparable to fast food back in Canada.

View from Lighthouse hotel, Little Corn

We spent the first part of our honeymoon at Long Bay on Big Corn Island, and then the rest on Little Corn, and now were settled int our place on Big Corn where we will be serving for the foreseeable future. We don't know how long we will be staying here but we felt it was time for a change, and at the same time there is a need for us. There is only one Spanish congregation here, and a small Creole-english group trying to become a congregation, for which they need more permanent helpers. Lots of visitors come to Corn Island eager to help in the ministry, but they stay only for a short time. When they leave at times the group is left with barely enough people to continue.

The entire group is made up of foreigners like myself trying to learn Creole, and my wife Jean is the first actual creole person in the group, so hopefully we can help in reaching the people here and help others to learn Creole faster.

Dive Shop, Big Corn

Dive shop again

ready for takeoff

Big Corn

Regional Convention - San Salvador 2015

We often say that "this was the best convention yet", but the events around this years assembly really did make it the most memorable yet. It was a long and exhausting journey for our congregation, but we also received overwhelming hospitality from our international brotherhood.

Our region includes English and Creole congregations from Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Our Journey from Pearl Lagoon started on Tuesday at 5 AM. We caught a bus to Rama, which takes about 5 hours on bumpy jungle road. After which we had planned to take the express bus from Rama to Managua but it wasn't available. Unfortunately this meant we had to run to the next bust after our 5 hour trip (no time for a bathroom break) and hop on for another 4 hour trip to Juigalpa. After Juigalpa it was another 3 hours or so to Managua. By the end of the day we all felt (and probably looked) like zombies. But now we were half way there!

Do-pi, the Creole word meaning "Zombie"

After that exhausting trip, we had to find ourselves a place to stay in Managua until the next morning when we would be taking the Ticabus to El Salvador. Imagine our delight when it turned out that someone from the local congregations had arranged hotel rooms for all of us right at the Ticabus terminal! we didn't have to pay a cordoba, and didn't have to worry about how we would make it to the terminal at 5 AM. The hotel even had a coffee shop inside that opened at 4 AM, just before we had to get on the bus. We never met the brothers that had arranged this for us, but we were so very thankful to have a clean and safe place to sleep at the end of the journey.

Ticabus hotel

The next morning was part two. There was a dramatic increase in the quality of the bust however. Even traveling in "economico" the bus had air conditioning, arm rests, cup holders, comfortable seats, and even a bathroom. We had to wear jackets thought because the AC only has one setting which is evidently used preserve meat. That is of course until about halfway through Honduras when the AC broke down, but they were able to fix it.

Repairs on the fly

Honduras

So after another 15 hours on the road, we finally made it to San Salvador! And again the hospitality of the brothers caught up with us. As the bus pulled in to the terminal there was a large crowd of people standing outside holding signs saying "Welcome!" and "We love you!". We all had arrangements to stay with local families in San Salvador. Evidently local congregations had assigned groups of volunteers to look after our every need. So as soon as we got off the bus, we were each handed a bottle of water and a sandwich, Then we were helped with our baggage to a brothers car. Some who were housing larger groups of us had rented buses to drive us around. We were taken to a lovely house with several guest suites where an older sister from the congregation had prepared a hot meal for us.

Welcoming comittee

Beautiful San Salvador

Delicious Pupusas

Starbucks!

More Starbucks

Inside Starbucks

And of course, my annual cheeseburger.

We had a day to rest before the program began, so Jean and I went shopping for wedding stuff. I also got to take Jean to Starbucks for the first time. San Salvador has a lot of amenities that one cannot find in Nicaragua, and comfort foods like McDonalds, So of course I had to get a cheeseburger and fries because it might be another year before I can eat that again.

The program of course was amazing, but I won't go into detail as some with access to this blog may not have had their assembly yet and I don't want to spoil it for them. I will say though that it was very up-building and the use of videos really made the program go quickly and made it easy to follow. The brothers are really reaching out to those of us with squirrel-like attention spans.

I already miss Starbucks. If anyone is coming down and wants to bring a treat please bring those Starbucks refreshers that come in a little package.

Camping

One of my favorite pastimes since I was a kid has been camping. Its also probably the number one thing I miss from being in Canada, is going on long camping trips out in the woods, being close to nature and away from all traces of modern society... sitting around a fire and most importantly doing nothing at all.

Occasionally while working our more distant territories we do go "camping" as some of them take nearly a day to reach and it would be impractical to return the same day. Also most of them do not have hotels or hostels to stay at so we are left with the option of camping.

However, for the first time we got to go on a recreational camping trip. Its a bit different than camping in Canada but it was an awesome experience. A family visiting from Germany was kind enough to invite myself, Jean, and another couple on a 3 day camping trip in the Pearl Cays.

The Cays (pronounced Keys) are a group of tiny islands in the Caribbean about a one hour Panga ride from Pearl Lagoon. They vary in size and are completely undeveloped with the exception of some abandoned houses that were never finished constructing. I mention the history of these buildings in a previous post, basically someone started building them illegally and were forced to leave. There are no shops obviously. When you are on these islands you only have what you brought with you and what you can find from nature.

One of the keys is so small it is just one palm tree and a bunch of sand. The one we stayed on was somewhat bigger, Clark key is just about as long as 2 or 3 city blocks... I guess. You can walk from one end to the other in a few minutes, but its big enough that you can go for a walk and not see anyone. We brought all our camping gear and food for 3 days with us and set up camp under some young coconut trees. (we picked a place where the tents were not in danger from falling coconuts, as coconuts kill more people than sharks, you know.)

Hammock Zone

Tent City

Casa Mateo

we had a small campfire as well, we were told not to have a large one by some conservationists (the only other people you will see around here) as it would attract the baby sea-turtles that were hatching in the area. We went to great lengths, walking around at night with red flashlights trying to see baby turtles running for the water, but all we saw were their tracks, we just missed them each time.

We used a typical coal "furnace" to cook our food using wood heat, and also ate what fish we were able to catch in addition to what we had brought with. Our driver picked a dead fish out of the water on the way to the islands which turned out to be delicious.

Jean making Coffee

Camp Kitchen

Its amazing how the daylight changes your schedule when you are not exposed to any artificial light. We usually all went to bed around 7, and got up just in time to see the sunrise at 4:30-5:00 AM. We spent a lot of the time snorkeling and building sand castles, but somehow it didn't feel quite like camping because there were no pine trees. I don't feel like I'm camping without pines, but i suppose that palm trees are an acceptable trade.

Sunrise

Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeean